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Monday, May 5, 2014

Vintage Wedding Cake Toppers

The topper that you select for your wedding cake will be one of
the focal points of your wedding reception. More and more brides are
turning to the classic vintage wedding cake toppers to give their cakes
that little extra something special. To help you find the perfect piece,
this is what you should know about vintage wedding cake toppers.

If
you are lucky, you will have a vintage cake topper somewhere in your
family. Using the same decoration on your wedding cake as your parents
did on theirs would be a very sweet detail that would make your cake
more meaningful. If your parents do not have their cake topper, be sure
to ask around in the rest of your family. You might just find that your
aunt has your grandmother's vintage topper tucked away in a box in her
attic just waiting for you.

For those who are not fortunate enough
to have a cake topper in the family, there are plenty of places where
you can find them. Truly the vintage ones are the most special and
interesting, much more so than many of the ones currently being made.
They will often be made of finer materials, have handpainted details,
and may have unique whimsical touches that you just won't come across on
a contemporary cake topper. Vintage wedding cake toppers abound on
ebay, in vintage shops (both online and local), flea markets, and at
some bridal shops. If ordering one online, read carefully to determine
the size and condition of the piece.

There are some very sweet
cake toppers available. Lovebirds, doves, wedding bells, and of course
the bride and groom are the most popular themes. Some of the pieces can
be quite ornate and fanciful, especially the toppers with the chiming
bells, which are often part of a large decorative arch. You may find
special touches such as millinery quality silk flowers, glass pearls
(perfect with pearl bridal jewelry sets), and even metallic accents.

The
bride and groom are far and away the most popular style of vintage
wedding cake topper. It should be noted that before the 1950s, there
were no bride and groom sets of color being produced (and they remained
quite rare even after the '50s). You will at times, however, run across
very rare and highly collectible toppers which have been repainted to
match the skin tone of the original bride and groom who used them at
their wedding. A creative bride could also use this technique today to
personalize a vintage cake topper that she likes.